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6.2 DD Reliability?


Jraymer360

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no i never bought it, too much work/he started the truck with starting fluid. i went on a chevy forum and they said that was bad if it was done a lot to the motor. i want a diesel but i don't pull heavy loads, and cannot afford the maintenance or price tag of a diesel. ( i could afford a rusty ass powerjoke/cummins or a decent 6.5...but all of which would have 275k+ with problems...) i think i'm just too used to driving my dads 2500 cummins which is half the reason i want one. the feel, being up so high compared to others, the purr of the diesel...but sadly i can't afford it. plus i'd probably just blow smoke everywhere and piss people off/ruin the diesel community even more than it already is. plus i want a manual, which are a little more expensive and i'm not an expert by any means so my dad looks at vehicles with me, but doesn't like older trucks.
 
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bobbywalter

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well my ranger is slow....but steady:D
 

Will

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Well, Bobby, when I pull out onto IN-46 and make the right to take the kids to school in the van, it's embarrassing. It seems to be making all the right noises and stuff, but it moves like it's tied to a post. My old Chevy is quick--I can pull pretty much right out in front of people. Before I put the No-Spin in it, it would burn the tire and I would have to let off and wait for grip. The van is embarrassingly slow. You floor it, it gives a bit of a push and some promising turbo whistle, but it never really gains speed. On the interstate, with the cruise set, it has good power. When the cruise is off, you can't keep up using the pedal. I noticed this on a 2003 F350 as well. I think a flash of the chip might give the driver some fuel, but it's pathetic right now and I only like to drive on trips.

I would be happy for someone to drive my 6.2 and post their feelings. You aren't going to be disappointed. I've borrowed a 2003 7.3 6-speed F350 4x4 dually on 2 long trips, and my 6.2 truck is stronger. The guy I borrowed the F350 from drove my truck when I had his and said he was impressed. I think he said "You press the pedal and it just goes." I think it's a reference to the fact that Ford doesn't give you any fuel unless the cruise is set. I found his truck absolutely pathetic until I set the cruise. In the hills in Pennsylvania, I was downshifting and downshifting and all I was pulling was a 2,500# '65 Mustang on a 1,300# utility trailer. Once I hit the cruise, it was a miracle. Our van is like that. But it doesn't help you when you need to accelerate with your foot.

There are so many 6.2/6.5s out there, though, that I can't endorse them. My truck has the, I think, 480 block in it. My previous truck was newer and had a Goodwrench 5-something block. I kept that motor because I heard it wouldn't crack. I expected my motor to fail and to have to install that one. I have another 480 (I think) motor with low miles from an Air Force truck. And I have that transmission as well. I have 2 back-up motors because I thought mine would fail. That's not an endorsement. But it hasn't failed.

I'll accept people's personal stories, but not a generalization. This is a motor that has been built since 1981 and is still in production. I was 12 in 1981. Why is it still around? There is lots of other military gear that came into being after that and disappeared before it, but the allegedly bad 6.2/6.5 chugs on. Chugs on. Chugs on.

For instance, in the marines, my primary weapon was the M198 howitzer. The Marine Corps didn't replace their M114s until after 1987. Now, as 0f 2008, they have the British built M777 The 6.2 was leading the M198s into position when they first came out, and right now, it's leading the M777s. As far as I know, there's no replacement in mind. That means, if you buy a 30 year-old 6.2 and set your truck up for it--you will be able to install a new 6.5 into it exactly in it's place.

The HMMWV (or whatever it's called) has got to be the most common heavy-duty light truck ever built. And your plan is to discount it's powertrain as an option for your own truck?
 

bobbywalter

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i remember when you used sams rig, and reported on it then. i was surprised, as i never had those experiences. but i hope it was better then the 351:icon_rofl:


a few people i know have 14 sec e350's. exaust and tuner. thats it.

that is something i am not interested in.


your van may run like it is supposed to, but mine never ran like that. i would have shitcanned it.

maybe i am lucky? but i know i am not. i could outrun a 6.5 with a 6.5 truck on a trailer with my van when i bought it...and it had 556k on it then. its tired as hell now and still runs pretty good.

i have read that the passenger vans are set up originally with stupid shift programs and softer idm's. i assume you have a 7.3 and not a 6.0 of course.

mine is a cargo hauler. but has aftermarket idm in it due to age and water damage of the others...the original idm ran the best in any case..


the original 6.2/6.5 is not good in the desert environment, the hummers die horrible deaths till the replacement engines were in place, even now are replaced on time depending on conditions. that would not be the case with 4bt's.


then again, 4bt's would rattle everything apart and can be heard from 15 miles away in a canyon. just idling. if your were hamering on it the smoke cloud would be another targeting opportunity:D


hey, i am not a 6.5 hater. how could i be:dunno:

but, stacked up against my psd in a real truck no matter what brand the chassis i will take the psd.....but if chassis and engine choice were on the list...it would really be a cummins in a ford with a ali.:thefinger:


na na, nana, naaaa, na:thefinger::thefinger:
 

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Avoid the 6.2 IMO. Hell, in one of the last few diesel power magazines, in the first time diesel buyers guide, they said don't waste your money on a 6.2. They said save your money to buy an early ford or cummins.

You can find decent 7.3 idi's for under $3000.
Early cummins are a little harder to find since everyone of these kids are cummins crazy but they're out there.



Sent from my iPhone.
 

Jraymer360

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i don't want an idi, and anything around here is too rusty for the price tag anyways. people are asking 2500 for 87's with no rockers.
 

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Buy a pre97 Powerstroke with a 5spd. better everything than the 6.2(yes mpg as well). I'm a chevy guy thru and thru, but would I wouldn't buy a 6.2 unless the scrap price covered the purchase and hauling fees. My dad has had 2 6.2s and they do fine, but I can't say to much good for them, except it pulls better than a 350 of the same year, but not enough to offset the noise, nastyness, money pit, and general PITA you have to deal with. Both of his ate glow plugs like a fat kid to cake, and if you use it like a diesel the 700r4 goes out. With a 3 spd it doesn't get what a tbi 350 gas motor gets. I think you did right. The early ford or dodge with a 5pd will get close to the same MPG, and they are 3/4 tons. Rant over, I just spent too much time working on my dads crap 6.2s, it was bottled up. Sorry
 

Will

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Which one of your 6.2s was turbocharged?

Any diesel without a turbo is crap. The turbo blows away combustion heat and adds tons to the durability of the engine. A turbo on a diesel means a lot more air is available for fuel to be burned in and a lot more power can be made.

My van is a 2000 and there is no way it could keep up with my pickup.
 

Will

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Rant over, I just spent too much time working on my dads crap 6.2s, it was bottled up. Sorry
Yeah, I would have that anger too. But my experience is different. With the 700R4, the truck got 26mpg empty and 16mpg towing a 6,000# trailer. The TH400 is bad. I got 23mpg at 60mph empty in the crew, but 18mpg at 70.

My Powerstroke van gets 20-21 @ 65mph loaded with whatever--kayaks on the roof, bikes on the back, motorcycle AND bikes on the back, fully loaded interior. But if you try to go 70+, the mileage tanks. It's like 17 at 73mph.

My wife's Pilot get 21-22 at 75mph with us 7 and a little gear. The huge van does almost as well, and with a big cargo.

But a 6.2 in that van would do better. I think an injector for a Powerstroke is $800. I have 2 6.2 replacement motors and a few transmissions that I think I would put in if this Powerstroke ever fails.
 

Ranger2300

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If you like the truck a sbc swap is about the easiest thing you'll ever do. The 6.2 is a detroit diesel and they're reasonably reliable, though there's no turbo :( I drove a suburban 6.2 for about 6 months without any issues at least!
 

Will

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A turbo was a dealer option. Gale Banks made them for all installations--light and heavy, vans and pickups old body and new body. I've installed and used 2 of them--one pieced together and the other a complete buy from Banks. The difference between no turbo and a turbo with the pump turned up is the difference between a moth bumping into your sack and Adam Vinateri kicking a 57 yarder through your delicate bits.

Some of you think a turbo on a diesel is like an EXTREME sticker on an S10. 90% of you, my 21' long crewcab longbed will kick your ass in an acceleration competition. Then we'll put my 3-axle goose with the trackloader on it on you and see how you do.

I'm sure I have cracked main webs and such. They aren't failures. I have 2 extra engines if it does fail, but it doesn't FAIL. I've had no failures in 10 or 11 years. How many of you keep a vehicle that long? This thing isn't going to fail. It's been up many mountains with the pedal to the floor and the EGR's bumping 1,100F and it has always made it home.

Just home from a 200 mile round trip at 75mph to get my wife from the Cincy airport. It's not dead yet. I used it 3 weeks ago to pull my Powerstroke van home when the 'stroke died from being too complicated.

The engine and Roosamaster fuel system are as simple as a rock. I'm not that impressed with someone that can't get a 6.2 to work for them. Seriously, you'd have to be the world's biggest moron--or show me a picture of a bunch of seriously broken parts.

I can't understand how an engine that I used for 2 generations--kids young enough to be my kids are driving them--is such a piece of shit. This engine came out before people understood diesel engines and it took a lot of rap for things associated with diesel engine and not necessarily just for itself. I learned to drive a stick on an '82 or '83 6.2 in a Spring Green lawn care truck with a tank on it. I drove them in the marines in the 80's and 90's and then bought one in the early 2000's and still have one. I seriously have to believe that there exists a pocket of morons that managed to screw up one of the best engines ever to have been built--and is still being built.
 

bobbywalter

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hehehe.....over complicated is a very accurate description of a powerstroke.



i know my smelly piece of junk nutless 6.5 clatters happily along on a frightening array of fuels. i have been experimenting with pop pressures so it actually is loud now and a bit irritating....but damn impressive for no turbo.

many insist to me it simply has to be dumb luck. but i dont really have any good luck as a majority thing.. i tend to have the kind of luck akin to jumping in a barrel full of titties and come up choking on a dick every time kind of luck.


sooner or later i know i will put a turbo in there...it will be very interesting to see the dynamics of that. if i was positive it would improve economy it would have happened long ago, but i am not so sure after some other rigs i worked on and chose max miles out of it over power.
 

Jraymer360

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what a discussion i started! i've always wanted one of these in a 1500 version but the hard part is finding one that isn't rusted out or has a blown motor/injection pump failure...
 

Schnot

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what a discussion i started! i've always wanted one of these in a 1500 version but the hard part is finding one that isn't rusted out or has a blown motor/injection pump failure...
That should say something about the reliability lol


Sent from my iPhone.
 

bobbywalter

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4WD
Total Lift
sawzall?
Tire Size
33-44
My credo
it is easier to fix and understand than "her"
you can say that about most 80's anything at this point.






a 6.2 with a bad injection pump is usually pretty cheap to get.


and very cheap and easy to fix.

i can drop and clean the tank, run all new line, new injectors and injection pump for 7-900 bux


fawking things are ridiculously simple, cost effective, and reliable at stock power levels over all. stock powerlevel including a typical banks installation, which is superior to stock gm setup ime as well.

the original detroit design plus banks was great.

the detroit design plus gm truck engineers making boost was a disaster.
 

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